In Defence of Dogs: Why Dogs Need Our Understanding Author: John Bradshaw
364 pages, hardbound, Copyright 2011; Penguin Press: Allen Lane ISBN: 978-1-846-14293-6
Book Review by Graham Newton (Tettoy ETTs)
After losing $4 billion in shareholder value and on the eve of his resigna- tion the C.E.O. of one of the world’s largest companies asked his teams of executives “NOW tell me what I need to know, NOT what you think I want to hear”. In his book John Bradshaw tells us what we need to know and a lot of what we don’t want to hear. Richard Haynes (Eburacum ETTs) recommended this book, and having read it I would like to share what I have learned and believe we should all take note of.
John Bradshaw has spent thirty years studying dog behavior at universities and animal research centers. His research involved collaboration with colleagues, universities, veterinary experts, animal re-homing charities, thousands of volunteer dog owners and his own direct observations. His book “In Defence of Dogs”gives the reader a unique and authoritative insight into what dogs would ask us for, if only they knew how.
Growing intolerance of dogs has resulted in increasing restrictions in relation to dogs particularly in public places. In my area, for instance, by-laws limit the number of dogs one person can walk in public places to four. Many once free running parks are now “off limits” to dogs and the freedom of the beaches is limited in many places to winter months. Many hotels do not welcome dogs by banning them altogether or making a charge designed to put people off taking a dog. As more and more restrictions are places on dogs and owners in terms of hygiene, control, and behavior the author asks if we are breeding dogs better suited to this changing envi- ronment. Mr. Bradshaw challenges breeders to strike a balance between dogs that look good, are healthy, and of a temperament suited to the current environment. Breeders should focus on breeding “real” dogs, the pet that wants to be one of the family and enjoy a long and healthy life. The collection of rosettes and breeder ku- dos should be secondary.
Dogs have been our faithful companions for tens of thousands of years and yet today they are on the verge of crisis struggling to keep up with the pace of changing human society. Until 100 years ago most dogs worked for a living, each breed and type had become well suited over thousands of years to the task for which they were bred. Most dogs had to earn their keep however today most dogs are not expected to do the work they were bred for their main function is as family pets and many breeds are poorly suited to this role. None of the most popular breeds have been specifically designed as family pets but they have done their best to adjust to the changes and restrictions we have imposed upon them. We expect them to be faithful companions when we need them to be and unobtrusive when we do not.
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